The Forest Preserves of Cook County announced it will reopen Swallow Cliff Stairs, nature centers and bathrooms, plus allow grilling and lift restrictions on parking lots at popular sites — but not until after the Fourth of July.
Cook County Forest Preserves
Jun 25, 2020 |
Jun 22, 2020 |
More than 200 species of birds have been identified at this small forest preserve, along with hundreds of other living things. We meet up with Jeff Skrentny and several dozen volunteers for a morning of pre-pandemic restoration work.
Jun 4, 2020 |
You can camp, golf and — starting next weekend — even go zip lining, but plenty of closures and restrictions remain in effect. Here’s a look at what you can and can’t do in the preserves, and when.
May 18, 2020 |
Memorial Day is traditionally one of the busiest weekends in the Forest Preserves, but because of COVID-19, people are being encouraged to hold cookouts, picnics and other holiday activities at home this year.
Apr 24, 2020 |
Too many visitors are flocking to the most popular forest preserves and ignoring social distancing rules, prompting weekend parking lot closures through the end of May, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Friday.
Mar 29, 2020 |
Most trails remain open in Cook County’s forest preserves, offering people a respite from home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that could change if people congregate like they did along Chicago’s lakefront.
Jan 18, 2020 |
From the Amazon to Jiuzhaigou Valley, the world’s forests are racking up hashtags. But there’s no need to travel out of Cook County in search of photogenic flora.
Jan 10, 2020 |
Authorities on the hunt for coyotes in downtown Chicago after two reported attacks, including one where passersby said they had to pull a wild canine off of a 6-year-old boy who was bitten in the head, captured one animal Thursday night on the city’s North Side.
Apr 10, 2019 |
Sometimes the best thing for a forest or prairie is to burn it. We spend a day with a Cook County burn crew.
Jul 12, 2018 |
More fallout in the wake of a viral video that has resulted in hate crime charges and a police officer’s resignation.
Jul 10, 2018 |
A video shot in a Cook County forest preserve has caught fire on social media and is prompting blowback from county officials on both sides of the aisle.
Jun 23, 2016 |
Starting Saturday, thrill-seekers and nature lovers will get the chance to swing, soar and climb through a new zip line and obstacle course nestled in the treetops of a Cook County forest preserve.
May 4, 2016 |
How local forest preserves are using fire to maintain the Chicago area's natural ecosystem, much like Native Americans did prior to European settlement.
Mar 29, 2016 |
Badgers are known for their elusiveness: the mostly solitary animals travel and forage at night, moving from one place to another very quickly. But wildlife biologists recently got lucky and caught one in northwest Cook County.
Cook County Forest Preserve Acquisition Largest in 45 years
The Cook County Forest Preserve District makes its biggest land purchase in nearly 50 years snapping up a foreclosed 400 acre horse farm in Barrington Hills. We look at how the Forest Preserve was able to afford the $14.5 million property and what it might become.
